"Wanting more for your future is not a betrayal of your past."
-Danielle LaPort

I think it's safe to say we all want a little more out of our lives. More love. More money. More friends, or simply more time. And while we try to convince ourselves that what we already have is enough, we fall short with the idea of something new.

Something different. and something shiny to work toward regardless of how far out in the distance it might be and regardless of how legitimately possible it would be to make such a dream reality.

And in doing so we forget to enjoy the things we already have. Often forgetting to simply be in the moments that will later be relived around kitchen tables littered with grandchildren. Often forgetting just how hard we worked to obtain the last goal, the last love or the last moment that left us feeling more full than ever before.

And leaving us feeling slightly more empty over things that should have made us more full

I do not believe; however, that yearning for more is always such a negative thing. Because in doing so, we are providing ourselves with the very foundation we need to hope for something greater than ourselves.

In the last year, I struggled with the idea of hope. How dangerous and misleading it can be, but also just how beautiful and uplifting it can be as well. And in trying to come to terms with such a word again, and in pursuing the positive realization of a word that nearly tore me down,

I realized I was instilling the very thing I was afraid of aspiring for once again: Hope

Aspiring for more does not mean that we have to negate the past. Nor does it mean negating the wrong turns and poor choices that transformed us into the very people we are meant to be.

You see, the thing about wanting more is that you get to ultimately decide how you allow it to mold you or tear you down. And with it, you get to determine how you choose to seek your overall goal and sense of purpose in this life.

Determining whether to allow a material thing to dictate your value, or simply viewing it as something meant to better your overall quality of life.

But most importantly, never allowing your hopes and aspirations to cloud your perceptions of now

Because when we live our lives looking only toward the future, we lose out on all the moments happening right now. And without the present, the future will only seem more intangible than ever before.

So whether you are searching for more time, more money or more life worth living, I hope you never lose that sense of excitement towards the great unknown. But most importantly, I hope you find the time to enjoy the present moment happening right now all around you. Because you just might find exactly what you are looking for.